Texplainer: How Does a Special Session Work?
Hey, Texplainer: How does a special session work? And how is it different from the regular session? Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Wildfire Politics Grip State as Disasters Strike Elsewhere
Gov. Rick Perry has unsuccessfully tried to get a meeting with President Barack Obama, who will be visiting Texas today, to discuss the federal government's denial of a wildfire disaster declaration in Texas, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry (l) gestures toward Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, during his visit to the Senate floor on May 5, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
After Emotional Debate, House Passes Sanctuary Cities Legislation
After hours of contentious and often emotional debate, the Texas House passed HB 12, the controversial "sanctuary cities" legislation. The measure was passed on a 100 to 47 vote just after midnight. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Senate Adopts Voter ID Report
The state Senate today approved a conference committee report on the voter identification bill that includes changes that would allow citizens to use a new form of documentation to cast their ballots. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Is David Dewhurst Goofy — or Goofy Like a Fox?
It’s funny that you can win four statewide elections and still have people think you’re a goofball, in over your head. But maybe Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s fumbles leading to the Texas Senate’s budget vote give the lie to that. Maybe he’s goofy like a fox. Full Story
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Video: The Week in Texas Politics Recap, May 2 to May 6
No time to follow all the happenings of the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome. Full Story
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House Prepares for Sanctuary Cities Debate
Is it about security or racial profiling? Will U.S. citizens be targets of harassment? Will it stain Texas with the reputation Arizona thrust upon itself? The Texas House will likely entertain those and other sensitive questions when House Bill 12, commonly referred to as the “sanctuary cities” bill, hits the chamber's floor on Friday. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Perry on Senate Budget, Sanctuary Cities and Rainy Days
The governor told a press gaggle today that the Senate budget vote is a "step in right direction" — and that big-city police chiefs who oppose sanctuary city legislation must not have been listening last Election Day. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry (c) speaks with reporters outside the Senate Chamber on May 5, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Juvenile Justice Merger Heads to Governor
A bill to merge Texas' two state juvenile justice agencies is headed to the governor for a signature. Full Story
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Cornyn, Perry Blast Feds Over Wildfires
Sen. John Cornyn vowed to "raise Cain" if the federal government's decision not to give Texas extra financial assistance for battling the wildfires hinged on politics. But the feds say that Texas is already getting help. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Failed Budget Vote Threatens Senate Tradition
Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden tried, and failed, to get 20 state senators to vote with him on a proposed state budget Tuesday. On Wednesday, he's going to see if he can find 15. Full Story
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![Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, listens to debate after bringing budget bill CSHB1 to the floor on May 3, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Update: Zaffirini and Powell Escalate Higher Ed Debate
An increasingly bitter disagreement over the future of the University of Texas at Austin between University of Texas System regents' chairman Gene Powell and state Sen. Judith Zaffirini is ratcheting up the ongoing debate surrounding higher education in Texas. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Politicians Vary on Who Gets Credit for Bin Laden Death
When it comes to acknowledging those responsible for bringing down Osama bin Laden — which politicians are understandably eager to do — there is a noticeable inconsistency in whom Texas' leaders are choosing to mention in their official statements. Full Story
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![Local students gather in front of the residence of former US President George W. Bush after hearing news of Osama bin Laden's death]()
Credit: Stuart Palley -
In Rare Moment, GOP House Members Applaud Obama
For a rare moment, Republicans in the lower chamber set aside their anti-Washington rhetoric and joined their Democratic colleagues to congratulate President Barack Obama for ordering the military action that led to the death of Osama bin Laden. Full Story
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![President Obama at the University of Texas on Monday, August 9, 2010.]()
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Why the House Is Unlikely to Agree to the Senate Budget
It might not matter, in the end, whether the Senate wants to use some of the Rainy Day Fund to balance the budget. The House isn’t likely to go along unless the proposition is delivered on a tea cart pushed by Gov. Rick Perry and third-party conservative groups who have been hounding lawmakers to hold the line. Full Story
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UT, A&M Offer New Way to Graduate — From High School
The University of Texas and Texas A&M University are working on a system that will allow high school students who demonstrate sufficient competency in English, math, science, a social science and a foreign language to receive a certificate that can be traded for a high school diploma at any time. Full Story
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![William Powers Jr., UT President and R. Bowen Loftin, Texas A&M President at TribLive on April 28, 2011.]()
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Perry Temporarily Gives Up His Personal Email Account
Anyone planning to email Gov. Rick Perry for the remainder of this session need not bother trying to reach him on his personal account. He won't be using it. Full Story
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![March 23rd, 2011 at the Frank Erwin Center.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Where Are Perry's Emergency Items?
With fewer than five weeks left in the regular session, none of Gov. Rick Perry's emergency items — voter ID, sanctuary cities, sonograms for women getting abortions, a federal balanced budget amendment, and eminent domain protection — have made it to his desk. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry delivering his State of the State address on Feb. 8, 2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Guest Column: The Case for Ron Paul
While television and conservative talk radio continue to marginalize his presidential candidacy, unrest and anxiety over the nation’s economic woes festers, and a passionate and energized base of young people supporting him grows. It's long past time to take him seriously. Full Story
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Raymund Paredes: $10,000 Degrees "Entirely Feasible"
At a board meeting of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Wednesday, Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes said that $10,000 bachelor's degrees — books included — as proposed by Gov. Rick Perry are "entirely feasible." Full Story
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![Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Commissioner Raymund Paredes speaks at the podium during the Generation Adelante college fair.]()
Credit: Office of the Governor Rick Perry
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